Proposed code of practice on the enforcement of animal feedingstuffs legislation in the UK

The draft CoP contains guidance on:

• enforcement responsibilities including plans and enforcement policy, training and qualifications
• inspection procedures in respect of assessments of establishments for approval/registration
• inspection frequencies, guidance on sampling and exchange of information

This consultation has been prepared in accordance with the HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation, which states that a consultation must follow better regulation best practice, including carrying out an Impact Assessment (Regulatory Impact Assessment in Scotland). The assessment is included in the consultation documents.

We are interested in what you thought of this consultation and would therefore welcome your general feedback on both the consultation package and overall consultation process. If you would like to assist us to improve the quality of future consultations, please feel free to share your thoughts with us by using the consultation feedback questionnaire.

Consultation feedback questionnaire (Word)

Consultation feedback questionnaire (pdf)

In accordance with the FSA principle of openness our Information Centre at Aviation House will hold a copy of the completed consultation. Responses will be open to public access upon request. The FSA will also publish a summary of responses, which may include personal data, such as your full name and contact address details. If you do not want this information to be released, please complete and return the Publication of Personal Data Form. Return of this form does not mean that we will treat your response to the consultation as confidential, just your personal data.

Data protection form (Word)

Data protection form (pdf)

In July 2003, the FVO undertook an evaluation of the feed law enforcement controls in the UK, making recommendations where appropriate. Details of that FVO visit report and recommendations are available at the FVO website . One of the recommendations focused on the current lack of comprehensive guidance for feed law enforcement officers in the UK. In our response to the FVO we said that we would prepare a code of practice or guidance document to address this recommendation. The Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF) also made a recommendation in their Review of Feed Law Enforcement, published in June 2005, that codes of practice should be introduced for all areas of feed law enforcement. A link to the review is available at the end of this page.

The draft CoP contains guidance on enforcement activities currently undertaken or to be undertaken by the local authorities in England, Scotland, Wales and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) in Northern Ireland as a result of emerging and new legislation. It also includes guidance for the Animal Medicines Inspectorate (AMI) of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain for the enforcement of non-zootechnical and specified feed additives products respectively. Amongst other things, the CoP is intended to clarify enforcement responsibilities between enforcement bodies but will also serve as a one-stop guidance document for enforcement activities (to ensure feed safety). Guidance, published by Defra, already exists on TSE-related feed controls and associated animal health issues on Defra's website. The draft CoP reflects both existing feed legislation and the changes required as a result of the new EU Feed Hygiene Regulation (EC No 183/2005), certain parts of which come into force as from 1 January 2006.

The Code will be issued under Regulation 6 (or 7 in Scotland) of the Official Feed and Food Controls (OFFC) Regulations. Enforcement authorities and their appointed inspectors/officers responsible for feed law enforcement should have regard to these provisions in their day-to-day enforcement activities. The Agency will also be evaluating performance against the relevant sections of the Code as part of the standards for audit purposes as soon as it becomes available. It will also form part of the Framework Agreement with Local Authorities on Food Law Enforcement.

Detail of consultation
The CoP is divided into seven sections. Each section contains extracts of the law and guidance, which will ensure uniformity of the application of animal feed legislation across all UK enforcement bodies. It also sets out the various enforcement powers associated with feed law such as the Veterinary Medicines Regulation and the Feed (Hygiene and Enforcement) Regulations. The aim is to clarify the options available to enforcement officers and provide the required transparency to stakeholders on the way feed law is enforced.

Within three months of a consultation ending we aim to publish a summary of responses received and provide a link to it from this page.

If, after three months, the summary is still not showing, please contact the person who was responsible for the original consultation. Alternatively, you can contact Judith Taylor, the FSA Consultation Co-ordinator, on 020 7276 8633.
Email: judith.taylor@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk